Action Just OffCamera: Undercover Operation
by musicgurl21284
Summary: A McKate explaining actions and reactions in "The Bone Yard" 2.05 . Three agents undercover, but two of them don't know about the third. Includes Tim, Kate, and Tony.


"**Do you think anyone would believe that you actually slept with Kate?"**

The tips of my ears turned red, and a flush started across my cheeks. I'm sure Tony noticed, but Kate hustled him out of the bullpen before he could comment.

If he had, I'm sure it would have been something along the lines of how he thought I could never even dream about sleeping with _any_ woman, much less Kate. I'm just as sure that he attributed my flush to embarrassment, or possibly anger.

Desire probably never even crossed his mind.

I should probably be furious because of the things he said about me, but all that's running through my head is Tony's, "I think she's talking about you, Probie," which was said in response to being the father of Kate's child. If only… Heh, I can only imagine Tony's reaction if he knew the real reason for me blushing.

Kate shoots an apologetic glance my way. I can see that she wants to tell Tony off for tearing into me. The thought is nice, but completely unnecessary. I know that we need to keep things quiet so that we can work as a team. Our position is safe, and she can't say what she wants to Tony without tipping her, our, hand. We agreed on this silence at the beginning of our relationship. I know all of this; the feeling is still appreciated, however, and I try to convey that in the all-too-brief moment that our eyes meet.

I was diverted by Gibbs and FBI Agent Charles discussing Fornell's file, but when I heard the elevator ding, my thoughts refocused. As they waited for the elevator doors to close, I risked a glance at them. Tony, behind Kate, smirked. He just doesn't have a clue.

Kate, on the other hand, had a slight tinge of pink in her cheeks, her eyes shining. The tip at the corner of my mouth changed to a grin as I saw the only sign language she knows carefully shielded from Tony's prying eyes.

_I love you._

I couldn't say, or do, anything back, except for smile, but I know that I let a glimmer of my emotions shine through my eyes.

As the elevator doors closed and I turned back to my work, I made a silent vow. _Tony will never know._

"**Do you think anyone would believe that you actually slept with Kate?"**

Tony meant it as a scathing remark, and it was. I was livid; he had no right or reason to treat Tim like that, especially after he came up with our best shot at getting a DNA match. But as much as I wanted to grab those words right out of the air and ram them back down his throat, I was relieved.

That means that he doesn't know.

Not that I'm ashamed of Tim, not in any sense of the word. He is sweet, a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. I am lucky to have him. But we have to keep it secret for a couple of reasons, one of which is to stay on the same team, but another, sometimes seemingly more important, is that Tony will be merciless to Tim if he ever finds out about us. It's only for the sake of appearances that I roll my eyes instead of speaking up.

I shoot Tim an apologetic glance as I go to grab my gear from behind my desk. I know that he knows it's important to keep this to ourselves, but it's important to me for him to know that I don't take this lightly, that I would stand up for him if I thought that I wouldn't jeopardize our position by doing so. I shove my gun in my holster and head toward the elevator.

I glance at Tim over my shoulder, and the tips of his ears go red. I had to hide a fond smile. He looks so tempting when he's flushed. My gaze skips from his ears to his eyes, and my grin widens. His gorgeous green eyes are practically smoldering with desire, and I know that Tony's comments about us got to him, but not in the way Tony expected. My breath catches slightly, and I feel my heart rate pick up. So, apology accepted, then.

I enter the elevator, and I can just see Tim's eyes over the partition, glittering with desire. My face begins to warm. I glance covertly at Tony and seethe. I want to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face. He looks like the cat that caught the canary, and I know how that attitude of his affects Tim. Moving my arm so that Tony can't see my hand, I slowly extend all my fingers, and then fold my middle and ring fingers. Tim's eyes melt from simple desire to promises of things to come, and I know he got the message.

And Tony will never know.

A few weeks ago, if someone would have told me I'd be in this position, I would've laughed it off. There was no way that McGee and Kate were…just no. But something shifted in their relationship, and there were some subtle hints. I can see it clearly now.

It wasn't like they were being completely obvious. They weren't. But there were little things: glances, blushes, IM conversations under the pretense of working…C'mon, I'm a highly trained federal investigator with killer instincts to boot, did they honestly think I wouldn't notice anything?

The thing is, I think it's kinda sweet. Yeah, I had a crush on Kate, and I tease her with sexual innuendoes, but honestly, we have a brother-sister relationship, and I can't see it going any farther than that, especially with Probie in the picture. In fact, all of those teasing comments before helped build a solid background for my current undercover mission.

Operation: McKate.

McGee and Kate are playing a dangerous game. If the agency knew that they were dating, one or the other of them would be transferred so fast their heads would spin, and I don't want to see that happen. McGee, even though he's new, has grown on me. He's like a little brother: he looks up to me, wants to learn from me, and he's fun to tease.

The way I see it, Kate and Probie are undercover. Neither of them has been undercover before, at least not for the long haul, and as newbies, they'll make a few mistakes.

I'm their backup. My mission on this op? Misdirection.

Tactic One: Banter with Kate. Continuing my teasing and sexual innuendoes will give outsiders the impression that I want her, and our banter (only really understood for what it is by my teammates) will give the impression that she wants me back. I've caught Gibbs giving us curious looks from time to time in the past, and lately they've been picking up again. That's good; the more time he spends wondering about Kate and me, the less he spends on Kate and McGee. And unlike an investigation into those two, an investigation into Kate and my relationship will not reveal anything hinky.

Tactic Two: Pick on Probie. I don't pick on McGee just for fun, although that does factor into it a bit. Okay, a lot, but it serves a purpose. Teasing him about his relationships with women shows him that I don't know about him and Kate. More importantly, it shows _Gibbs_ that I don't know about McGee and Kate. Gibbs trusts my instincts, and if they don't show up as a blip on my radar, they're less likely to show up on Gibbs's. As an added bonus, the teasing puts him in his place. He is a probie, after all.

Tactic Three: Distract Gibbs. Okay, so tactics one and two are for Gibbs's sake too, but this one affects him most directly. And it's the trickiest. Like I said earlier, as hard as they try to keep it quiet, Kate and McGee still make mistakes. I cover them up.

Like the other day, Kate had to reboot her computer and her IM settings reset. When McGee shot her an IM, the mute was off, and the alert sounded. Loudly. Gibbs's eagle eyes shot to Kate; her eyes widened comically. "Sorry, Gibbs," she muttered, frantically trying to fix her settings. There would be definite trouble if he came over and saw her non-work-related activities.

Gibbs had just made a move to get up and check out what was going on, when suddenly his desk phone rang. He hesitated, eyes flicking between Kate and the phone. Definitely suspicious. A heartbeat passed, then two. Finally, he sat back down and answered his phone. I glanced over quickly enough to see McGee and Kate heave sighs of relief, and Kate fixed her program settings, all evidence of the problematic message gone. A few seconds later, Gibbs hung up. "No one there," was all he said, and I thanked my lucky stars that he couldn't see my hand underneath my desk, clutching my cell phone, which had his desk phone number on display, flashing from the recent disconnection. That was a close one, but I didn't let it phase me. An agent has to be ready to make sacrifices for the sake of the op.

The things I do for my teammates. All the while pretending I don't know what I know.

---------------------------------------------------------------

McGeek figured out how to get the DNA we needed. He's proud of himself, and rightly so, but he's so lost in that feeling that he goes straight to Kate. Not good. He's fallen a bit out of his undercover persona.

"I know how to get Little Ricky's DNA."

Tactic Two: "Gonna sleep with him?" I smirk. Gotta keep to the plan, just in case Gibbs is lurking.

He braces himself and launches into specifics. It's a good plan, but I can see a problem.

"You'll never get a judge to sign off on that warrant." Tactic One launching in three, two, one…

Kate hesitates. "Maybe we don't need one…that is, if you're ready to become a father."

Whoa. Time for me to back off a bit. I give her a measured look, which then slides to McGee. "I think she's talking about you, Probie." He gulps. I can almost see the ones and zeroes streaming through his brain, calculating the odds of whether I actually know, or if I'm just shooting my mouth off. He makes his decision in a split second; apparently I'm not considered a threat.

He turns to Kate, and they excitedly work out the rest of their plan. I keep an eye out, and good thing, too. Gibbs at twelve o'clock.

Time for a Tactic Three, I decide, as Gibbs gets within hearing range. "I'll do it."

"Why you?" Thanks for the beautiful setup, Probie. Time for the knockout punch.

"**Do you think anyone would believe that you actually slept with Kate?"** I snicker as I say it. Tactic Two worked like a charm!

The anger on Kate's face almost completely covers the shadow of relief that passes over her face. She thinks she's hiding it well, but she's breathing a bit too easily to be truly upset. McGee's face starts heating up. From embarrassment? Maybe, but he's not shuffling his feet or shifting his weight, sure signs that he's embarrassed. More likely it's because of the suggestion of sleeping with Kate. Thanks to my comment, however, Gibbs will most likely dismiss it as anger. Speaking of, time to distract Gibbs.

"Figured out how to get Little Ricky's DNA records."

And it went from there. Tactic Three worked perfectly. The only time Gibbs looked at McGee was to compliment him on coming up with the plan (how does Gibbs see these things and not pick up on the budding relationship?), and then McGee's red face could be attributed to the compliment. I gave the two lovebirds a few moments of relative privacy by grabbing my gear, and then followed Kate to the elevator.

I'm not sure what Kate signs to McGee when we get into the elevator, but his eyes are practically glowing. Ha! I knew it! Looks like someone is already planning tonight's activities. Kate blushes lightly, and I smirk, incredibly pleased that I pulled this scene off so well. Another successful move in Operation: McKate.

Covert operations are my specialty. They are undercover, but I'm in deeper than they are.

They won't ever know that I know.


End file.
